Why Is Everybody Speaking About LA Noire 2 All of a Sudden?

Rumors of an LA Noire 2 have been floating across the web currently, however is there truly any reality to them?

Over the weekend, eagle-eyed followers dug up an previous GTA 6 leak from 2023. The leak originated on 4Chan and revealed a bunch of particulars which have truly since been confirmed. Maybe probably the most notable bits is that Rockstar as soon as deliberate to have 4 protagonists in GTA 6, however finally settled on two, which was not too long ago confirmed by Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson. Nonetheless, it’s price noting that this tidbit was additionally buried in a report from Axios a yr previous to the 4Chan leak, as properly.

The publish went on to disclose particulars in regards to the sport’s relationship mechanic, which has additionally since been confirmed, and teased some spoilers which were loosely corroborated in different official leaks in recent times. Nonetheless, the explanation individuals are digging this publish again up is as a result of it claims that Rockstar’s subsequent sport is a sequel to LA Noire, set to launch in 2030.

The sport can be set in San Francisco and middle across the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized town within the ’70s. If there ever have been to be an LA Noire followup, this is able to be essentially the most supreme story to deal with, provided that it is wealthy with distinctive crimes, folks, and has an important setting. So… is any of this actual? Let’s take a look at all the proof.

For starters, LA Noire was developed by the studio Staff Bondi, led by a person named Brendan McNamara. Rockstar revealed the crime sport and lent some builders to help on the venture. Sadly, Staff Bondi dissolved shortly after LA Noire’s launch. Not lengthy after, McNamara based a brand new studio to make a successor generally known as The Whore of the Orient (which we reported new particulars on earlier this summer season) with out the assistance of Rockstar.

The sport was scrapped because of funding points and McNamara based yet one more studio generally known as Video Video games Deluxe, which helped port LA Noire to VR gadgets. The studio was acquired by Rockstar in 2025 and renamed to Rockstar Australia, main many to marvel what they’re as much as, precisely.

Presumably, they’re serving to with GTA 6, however loads of the studio is comprised of ex-LA Noire creatives, together with McNamara, who’s a famend storyteller. It appears laborious to think about {that a} artistic like him can be relegated to main a assist studio, so it appears possible that there may very well be plans for extra video games with him on the helm.

Rockstar has additionally proven an curiosity within the IP a number of instances through the years. LA Noire was the second Rockstar sport behind GTA 5 to be ported over to Xbox One and PS4, which raised eyebrows, given followers have been extra serious about titles like Bully, Pink Lifeless Redemption, and even GTA 4. A condensed model of the sport was additionally ported to VR across the similar time, which was an uncommon stage of funding for Rockstar.

Extra not too long ago, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick was requested about the potential for LA Noire returning. He famous that the door is open for Rockstar to revisit the sport, as long as there is a staff that is captivated with it.

“Broadly, we’re taking a look at doing one thing sooner or later with all of our mental property,” he mentioned in April 2026. “There’s nothing to announce on LA Noire particularly, and if there have been, it will be Rockstar saying it, not me. However in any case, with regard to our legacy IP, the groups are all the time taking a look at what we’ve got and we’re all the time enthusiastic about it. The query is, at any given time, do we’ve got a staff that’s captivated with engaged on that?”

Whether or not McNamara is invested in one other interval crime drama stays to be seen, however his staff would seemingly be those most gung-ho about going again to LA Noire. In 2012, Rockstar additionally teased that an LA Noire sequel wasn’t off the desk, because it was happy with how the sport carried out, and Take-Two even famous its significance as a “franchise” transferring ahead.

“Do not rely out the potential for a brand new sport within the LA Noire franchise sooner or later,” mentioned Rockstar throughout a fan Q&A. “We merely haven’t determined something. We’re all more than happy with how that sport turned out and are contemplating what the longer term might maintain for LA Noire as a sequence. We do not all the time rush to make sequels, however that doesn’t imply we can’t get to them finally – see Max [Payne] and Pink Lifeless for proof of that – we’ve got so many video games we wish to make and the difficulty is all the time considered one of bandwidth and timing.”

Both means, it is an thrilling prospect to contemplate, however there are loads of questions over what route Rockstar will take post-GTA 6. The sport is predicted to be the most important leisure launch in historical past, and the studio will seemingly assist the hell out of it with updates over time, particularly when its on-line mode launches sooner or later.

Will that be all-consuming, eliminating any probability of “smaller” video games like an LA Noire sequel, or will the monetary success afford Rockstar the chance to make extra fascinating inventive performs? We’ll simply have to attend and see, however Rockstar is already set to publish a pair of Max Payne remakes, developed by Treatment, so there are alternatives outdoors of closely monetized on-line video games.

Cade Onder

Freelance Author